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Asheville eager to land Deschutes

Deschutes Brewing of Bend, Oregon, is looking at Asheville as a possible location for its eastern expansion. Deschutes does not currently sell its beers here, and local brewers and economic developers say the company would be warmly welcomed(Photo: Deschutes Brewery)

Deschutes Brewery continues to deliberate on where it will establish its eastern facility and with it 100 to 200 new jobs, while local officials continue to dust off the welcome mat in hopes of landing the major brewer and adding yet another big name to a booming beer tourism industry.

Deschutes, headquartered in Bend, Oregon, has narrowed to a short list its choice of locations for an eastern expansion site, and Asheville remains a top contender with another high-profile visit coming next week. Company president Michael LaLonde is expected in Asheville for an "informal" visit with local brewers.

Other possible locations include Charlottesville and Roanoke in Virginia, and Greenville and Charleston in South Carolina. Deschutes has said it will make its decision before year's end.

Deschutes is thought to be interested in a 137-acre county-owned site in Bent Creek. Last week, the Buncombe County Commission voted to continue holding the land available for Deschutes, based on undisclosed "new information."

For several local leaders, the Deschutes search recalls memories of Sierra Nevada's long search for its eastern brewery.

Sierra Nevada looked at as many as 200 possible locations, including Roanoke, Black Mountain, and Blount County, Tennessee, before finally settling on its Mills River site next to the Asheville Regional Airport, officials said.

Western North Carolina has become the U.S. East Coast craft beer capital. Open now are Sierra Nevada and Oskar Blues in Brevard, and New Belgium is finishing construction and cranking up operations this fall in West Asheville along the French Broad River.

Another big player such as Deschutes could help further solidify the Asheville area as a craft brew destination alongside such western U.S. locations as San Diego and Portland, Oregon.

"I think that (collection of breweries) is unique to Asheville," said Julia Herz of the Brewers Association trade group. "I would be hard-pressed to think of another example."

The strong block of breweries here is an incentive to any other brewer looking to locate in the area, she said. "There is power in numbers, and we are seeing that across the country," Herz said. The latest tally of national craft breweries stands at 4,011.

Craft brewing is "just such a perfect fit" for the area, said Buncombe County Commission Chairman David Gantt, who is among those working to lure Deschutes to the Asheville area.

Gantt will not discuss particulars about discussions with Deschutes, but he is clearly eager for the brewery to choose Asheville.

"There is no cutthroat competition" within the local brewing scene, he said. "It has added greatly to the economic engine, and we are very interested in acquiring more breweries. I don't see an end to (more breweries opening here) anytime soon."

Since 1994 when the city's first craft brewery, Highland, opened here with just three employees, the beer workforce has skyrocketed not just in Asheville, but all around the mountains and North Carolina. During 2014, there were 88 beer jobs in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Asheville, and an additional 175 jobs in the 11th Congressional District, which encompasses most of Western North Carolina, according to the Beer Institute trade group and the Beer Wholesalers Association.

But those numbers increase to 2,042 in the 10th with retail and wholesaling jobs included, and 1,897 in the 11th District. Across North Carolina, there were 26,480 beer-related jobs, including wholesale and retail positions, and the numbers for 2015 are likely to be higher as all signs point to a steady industry growth.

Sierra Nevada has grown to 369 employees in Mills River, many of them working in the brewery restaurant. New Belgium already has brought more than 40 employees into its new West Asheville brewery and another 40 soon will be added. Eventually, up to 140 workers will be employed at the brewery and separate distribution in Enka.

Deschutes, the nation's sixth-largest craft brewer, would add about 100 workers at its new brewery if it locates here, and maybe another 100 if it builds a brewpub as well, LaLonde has said. The company's beer lineup includes Chainbreaker White IPA, Pine Mountain Pilsner and the seasonal winter brew Jubleale. Wherever Deschutes goes, it expects to be open in 2019.

Beyond the workforce, Deschutes would increase beer tourism, said Joe Rowland of Nantahala Brewing of Bryson City and president of the Asheville Brewers Association, which represents the local breweries.

"The more breweries you have, the stronger the case" for beer tourism, he said. His brewery depends greatly on tourism, and many visitors seek out regional breweries to visit. "We have 1,600 people in Bryson City, and I didn't build here because of that population number."

Sierra Nevada in particular has become a visitor favorite. It has a weekslong waiting list for visitors wanting guided tours and recently has hired more guides, spokesman Bill Manley said.

Deschutes would "help raise the profile of the beer-related experience in Asheville," agreed Stephanie Brown, executive director of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Breweries "provide a critical mass of high-quality experiences," she said. The bureau does not track beer tourism specifically, but Brown said the breweries are part of an overall economic magnet that includes outdoor activities and highly regarded restaurants.

Buncombe County is home to 21 breweries and more than 40 are scattered around the mountains, with more in planning or building stages. While many wonder how many more breweries the area can support, brewers and brewery owners agree that Deschutes would be good for their business by also motivating brewers to improve quality.

"It would raise the level of brewing," said Tim Schaller, owner of Wedge Brewing.

For Mike Karnowski, owner of the soon-to-open Zebulon Artisan Ales brewery in Weaverville, Deschutes would "make us more of a destination," he said. "I think there is room for more beer, but it has to be unique beer, creative beer. We don't need a brewery making the same beers that everyone brews."

Mike Rangel, president of Asheville Brewing, said he thinks Deschutes would be enticed by "our resources," such as Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College's Craft Beverage Institute program, in which students learn the elements of brewing, distilling and wine making.

Herz from the Brewers Association said there is little concern of overbuilding craft breweries, even in a city like Asheville, which census data showed had 87,000 residents last year. "If a brewery makes world-class beer and differentiates itself from others, I believe it will be just fine."